Ask the Scholar

{
    "localId": "12008571",
    "label": "Memorandum of Conference with the President Authored by Andrew J. Goodpaster",
    "core": "doc",
    "dtoType": "document",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/12008571"
}

{
    "id": "12008571",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/12008571",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Memorandum of Conference with the President Authored by Andrew J. Goodpaster",
    "description": "In this memorandum, President Dwight D. Eisenhower questioned his science advisors about new aerial intelligence technology, the risks and benefits of continued use of the U-2 spy plane, and the strength of the U.S. missile deterrent.",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/12008571",
    "creators": [
        "Goodpaster, Andrew Jackson, 1915-2005"
    ],
    "collections": [
        "White House Office, Office of the Staff Secretary: Records of Paul T. Carroll, Andrew J. Goodpaster, L. Arthur Minnich, and Christopher H. Russell",
        "Alphabetical Subject Files"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/eisenhower/186628/186628_0004_Page_1.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/eisenhower/186628/186628_0004_Page_1.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/eisenhower/186628/186628_0004_Page_1.jpg",
    "imageCount": 4,
    "hasImages": true,
    "source": "import",
    "hasTranscription": false
}

{
    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/12008571",
    "naId": 12008571,
    "levelOfDescription": "item",
    "productionDates": [
        {
            "day": 13,
            "logicalDate": "1959-02-13",
            "month": 2,
            "year": 1959
        }
    ],
    "recordType": "description",
    "ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}

{
    "seq": 4,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "document",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/eisenhower/186628/186628_0004.pdf",
    "mediaId": "ef7a63fa9af07273",
    "ocrText": "UNCLASSIFIED\nFebruary 13, 1959\nMEMORANDUM OF CONFERENCE WITH THE PRESIDENT\nFebruary 10, 1959\nOthers present:\nDr. Killian, Dr. Purcell, Dr. Land\nGeneral Goodpaster\nDr. Killian said the group had come in to report on some recent\nprogress, particularly in advanced reconnaissance devices. The\nfirst is an acoustical system for the detection of missiles leaving\nthe atmosphere. This has great promise for monitoring Soviet missile\nfirings. The system is based upon the existence of a \"sound duct\"\nwhich gives extremely high quality results. The President asked\nwhy this duct exists, and Dr. Purcell said it is because the tempera-\nture of the air decreases up to a certain altitude and then gets higher.\nAt this level, sound tends to stay in the layer of air. The process\nThe Dwight\nis to put a small balloon with a listening device at that altitude. Dr.\nKillian said that, from six points located around the world, it would\nbe possible to locate missile firings. The President asked what is\nthe height of this layer, and its thickness, and how the balloons could\nbe kept at the right height. He thought this might be difficult. Dr.\nPurcell said that the problem is tricky but that the experts think it\npossible of solution. The layer is roughly at 70,000 feet altitude,\nbut it is of the order of 30, 000-40, 000 feet thick. The President\nthought the scheme sounded splendid. He was concerned how soon\ninformation about it would leak. He thought it should be controlled\nand managed at a very high level. Dr. Killian said this would be done.\nHe pointed out that there are certain problems in obtaining use of just\nthe right spots around the world; he mentioned Asmara in this connec-\ntion.\nThe President next commented on the way irresponsible officials and\ndemagogues are leaking security information and presenting a mis-\nleading picture of our security situation to our people. Some of our\nsenators in particular seem to be doing this. In turn, the munitions\nmakers are making tremendous efforts toward getting more contracts\nand in fact seem to be exerting undue influence over the Senators.\nDr. Killian observed that where we have had a strong central laboratory,\nDECLASSIFIED\nUNCLASSIFIED\nE.O. 12356, SEC. 3.4 (b)\nMR MR93-172*)\nBY\nLis\nDATE\n10/27/95\n[2/15/54]\nUNCLASSIFIED\n- 2 -\nfor example in the atomic energy program, we have made excellent\nprogress, but where research and development has been dispersed\nover industrial firms such progress has not been achieved. The\nPresident cited the instance of Senator Symington being accompanied\nin various official conversations by a man who is a Vice President of\nConvair.\nDr. Land next discussed the Corona project. He said that if the Thor\nmissile can be brought to function properly, the rest of the program\nis in good shape. In particular, the development of the high grade\noptical and camera equipment needed has made excellent progress.\nRecovery operations constitute a major problem; General Electric is\nworking on this, and it seems likely that adequate solutions will be\nfound. The President asked how high these vehicles would be above\nthe ground. Dr. Land said he thought they would be about 160 miles\nup. By sending them no higher we can use more of the allowable pay-\nload for film. He thought we could expect a resolution of 20-50 feet\nin this photography. He commented that the security regarding the\nphotographic activity is still very high, in spite of a good deal of\nuninformed speculation.\nThe L Dwight 0\nThe President next said that he is thinking of making a two-day visit\nto missile production facilities, operational bases, etc. Dr. Killian\ncommented that his visit might take him to the missile ranges, where\na major problem of coordination of management and control is aris-\ning. The President asked Dr. Killian to give him a memorandum on\nthis, and said he would ask Mr. McElroy to go into the matter. He\nsaid that Dr. Killian's comment indicated that the test ranges are\ndeveloping more elaborate functions then he had previously understood\nto be involved. He asked Dr. Killian to identify the problem and\nsuggest an approach toward a solution and he would take the further\naction.\nThe President next discussed some questions relating to acceleration\nneeded to get a vehicle through the atmosphere Dr. Purcell indicated\nthat forces are of the order of 5 g., lasting for a minute or so; in\ncoming back into the atmosphere forces may rise to 6 g. at least\nmomentarily. The President asked what would happen to an object\nfired into space at an extremely high velocity -- specifically whether\nit would become a satellite of the sun. Dr. Purcell indicated that\nif it had approximately twice the speed of the earth around the sun, it\nwould be above the \"escape velocity\" from the sun's gravity.\nUNCLASSIFIED\n[2/13/097\nUNCLASSIFIED\n- 3 -\nDr. Killian next reported on the progress of the high-altitude, high-\nperformance reconnaissance aircraft. Dr. Purcell said that it\nderives its low radar visibility from its shape.\nThe best shape\nwould be a flying saucer with no equipment on the under side; this\nis next best. -- a triangle with all equipment features on top. The\nPresident thought that at such high speed, flying at such a great\naltitude with little resistance, it should have great range, and Dr.\nThe Dwight 0\nPurcell confirmed this. He added that, moving so fast, it will be\nvery hard to track by radar because it moves so far between sweeps.\nDr. Land commented that it could be used to carry a 700-pound pay-\nload, and could probably be sent in over an area unseen until it dropped\nits payload.\nDr. Killian next said he was very much impressed with the importance\nof getting hard intelligence on the Soviet missile program. The\nPresident asked if there is any possibility of the Soviets putting missiles\nunderground and hiding them. Dr. Killian recalled that we are doing\nsomething of this with our Minuteman program, but the locations will\nbe quite visible while construction is going on. Dr. Killian commented\nthat he sees a need for more stability in our military programming --\nwe should strive harder to avoid wide swings and sudden changes in\nthese programs. The President agreed strongly and recalled that he\nhad worked at this very goal since 1930, commenting that there is\nnothing as expensive as shuttling between haste and complacency. He\ncommented that stability by no means signifies stagnation. Dr. Killian\nsaid he had an analysis under way on how to bring more stability into\nthe program in the face of a necessarily high degree of uncertainty.\nThe President said that he asked the questions as to whether we have\na sufficiency, whether it is efficient, and whether it is properly\ndeployed; if so, he is ready to beat off the self-proclaimed experts\ncalling for sudden changes. Finally, he referred to the report of Dr.\nKillian's committee in 1955 which really initiated the development\nof the long-range ballistic missiles.\nA.J. A Goodpaster\nBrigadier General, USA\nUNCLASSIFIED"
}